Posted September 8, 2013

by Jerry Alatalo

Violence begets violence. Take a few moments and think seriously about the statement, and correlate the meaning of the statement to current events on this Earth, namely the ongoing debate on military actions in Syria.

The first important point I would like to touch on is that the Obama administration is “selling” their proposed “limited action”, which they tell the world is not war, to members of Congress and the Senate. Does anyone else feel it is very strange, for a national governmental entity like the Executive Branch-the Obama administration, that military action, which meets the definition for war, has to be “sold”?

Does anyone else feel that the energy which the administration is expending to gain support and votes is an energy similar to salesmen? There is a palpable sense that they want to “close the deal”. One senses an over-ambitious effort to persuade members of Congress, the American people, and the world community that the military actions, let us be honest-war, has to be undertaken.

Most everyone is familiar with an over-ambitious clerk who is rapid-talking, pointing out all the benefits you will derive from buying his company’s products. If we can imagine zero point on a numerical graph and lines extending left and right of zero, the left line numbered -1 through -10, the right line numbered +1 through +10.

The simple graph here will help you visualize the point I am trying to make. The Obama administration is expending almost every ounce of energy, through their appearances on today’s Sunday talk/news programs, travels around the world for support from leaders and organizations, the president’s address to the nation the day before the anniversary of 9/11, selling war.

John Kerry initially admitted that he did not want to close any possibility of “boots on the ground”, in the event that terrorists gained control of chemical stockpiles after “the limited strikes”, and “take off the table our ability to protect our country”. He later had to pull back on that position but, as we all know, once we speak the words we cannot reel them back as if we never said them. He said what was on his mind, we must believe that he was conveying the thinking of the administration.

The instances where, in the words coming from the administration, there have been mentions of possible alternatives to military action-war-are non-existent. A sharp clerk does not ever mention the negative aspects of the product or products he or she is trying to get you to buy. The product that the administration is trying to sell to Congress and the American people is war. Since peace is seen as a negative to the administration, an idea which lowers the chances that the “customer”, Congress and the American people will “buy” war, an objection to purchasing, there has been no mention of any non-violent options.

How can we view John Boehner‘s shutting down the Russian offer to come to Washington for dialogue, with the hopes of a negotiation over the Syrian crisis? Could it be because this would interfere with the “sale” of war. A simple analogy is your neighbor offering to talk over an issue which has hurt your friendship, and you tell him to go to hell. Any suggestion to go to the United Nations Security Council with evidence of Assad’s guilt, and dialogue between nations, is met with dismissal of the United Nations as not an option, because Russia will only block any and all efforts.

There is a lack of energy in the administration’s words directed to the suffering of the Syrian people and surrounding countries. It seems that the message’s energy would be more directed to concern for people on the ground in that region of the world. The reason for this lack could be that any energy in the message which concentrates on the people of Syria would raise objections to the “sale”, because of the violent aspects of cruise missiles.

John Kerry has exhibited too much enthusiasm when speaking to the press about the growing support for the administration’s plan for war. It is an image which reminds one too much of a sales rep, where he tells the prospective buyer, “see all the benefits of buying this?!” In a matter so grave, so serious as war and peace, it seems there is no need for selling of any kind. This is what worries me greatly.

I believe that my simple analysis, showing that the Obama administration is actually “selling” their wish to take military action against Syria, to undertake a warring action, points out the true deep deficiency of the administration’s argument(s). In this debate of war and peace on this Earth all people should look at how the words are spoken, what kind of emotions are expressed,, and search for the true meaning behind those words.

I repeat here my request for the administration to take their evidence to the United Nations Security Council, and prove to the world that Syria was responsible for the chemical attacks of August 21, on which your case for military action-war, rests.

“Is the reason for your not taking evidence to the United Nations Security Council, and proving to the world that the Syrian regime is responsible, that it would be a repeat of the Colin Powell-United Nations incident before the Iraq War?”

And that the world would respond to your war salesmanship with “We don’t need one.”

Michel Montecrossa says about ‘Talking Syria Countdown’:
“I wrote ‘Talking Syria Countdown’ at a time when in Syria big war business was writing its bloody tracks. Booming weapons industry on all levels of human society is increasingly changing politicians, bankers and media people into polito-corruptos, banka-gangstas and media-payolas.
Now the people must rise and show a new ethics and that’s what ‘Talking Syria Countdown’ is all about.”

Song Lyrics
TALKING SYRIA COUNTDOWN
Syria’s unrelenting violence, torture and massacres / are the bloody tracks of big war business and trade of weapons. / And all the traders of weapons are prolonging / and expanding now the war. / Syria countdown is about how much longer / war-profit-slaughter can be extended.
In Russia, America, England, Germany and where not, / you‘ll find the big producers and dealers of weapons / having a good time. / “Booming weapons industry means employment and / money for the states,” they say. / “So let’s kill them all as long as it goes for the profit great.”
Talking Syria countdown is about politos and bankas / walking over dead bodies with no sense of humanity at all. / It’s about money, greed and no ethics, propaganda and bluffing us all. / Leaders and speculators work together, mislead the people, / don’t help them at all. / The rich help the rich, they don’t help the poor, / they create them. / Talking Syria countdown tells about cynicism / of leaders who are no statesmen. / Talking Syria countdown tells about warmongers / and human breakdown. / Talking Syria countdown tells about the people / that must rise.

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Peace

"The first peace, which is most important, is that which is found within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."
BLACK ELK

Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms.. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.

This is a human rights blog in which I address issues of general concern freely and spontaneously. It is not an official blog nor is it issued in my function as United Nations Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order. It is a private blog intended to further an informal exchange of views in the democratic spirit of freedom of opinion and respect for the opinions of others.